Fond Memories
by MorganD
Summary: After the Ankoku Bujutsukai, Kurama and Hiei share distant remembrances.
1. Part One

Fond Memories ****

Fond Memories  
_by Morgan D._

~*~**_  
Yu Yu Hakusho_** belongs to Yoshihiro Togashi, Shueisha, Studio Pierrot, Fuji TV and Jump Comics, but its amazing characters are simply too cute to be left alone. I'm making no money from this, just lots of friends who are just as crazy as I am, or even worse - that is enough reward for me.

Shounen Ai.

To Curruira _("Eu não conheci o outro mundo por querer!")  
_~*~

****

Part One

Kurama left the bathroom muttering an angry curse, rubbing the rough towel against his scalp as he stepped into his room in the Kubikukuri Hotel. He had learned to live with all the unpleasant aspects of being a demon trapped in a human body - refraining from giving in to his natural whims of stealing, keeping a low-profile, pretending ignorance on matters a teenager should not master, guarding his secrets from a very affectionate mother, blocking the renowned Youko lust for more than a decade of chastity... He had managed to overcome the anguish those needs brought him. But there was yet one aspect he could not stand, one cruel change imposed by his rebirth as Shuuichi Minamino that made him sulk every single day of his human life.

"I want my old hair back!" he yelled, throwing the towel furiously over his bed. 

From his perch on the windowsill, Hiei didn't seem to acknowledge Kurama's presence in the room, except for a brief raise of his eyebrows. The Fire Demon kept staring at the forest and distant shore outside, as sunbeams lazily spread over the island.

Kurama didn't expect any reaction from him, since there had never been one to any of the times he had complained about his mane in Hiei's presence. Only once did Hiei grace him with some comment, snorting something like "Vain Youko, silly ningen!" under his breath. 

Sitting on the bed, Kurama started running his fingers through the wet locks, trying to clear the wild mess of knots that fell over his shoulders. He had decided to grow his red hair in an attempt of regaining some of the former appeal and exotic beauty Youko Kurama was famous for in the Makai. However, this new hair was very different from the soft silky strands that seemed to come to life when blown up by the dark winds of his birth world. He hardly had problems combing his silver hair then, as he could face rain, gale, swimming, or the most complicated fighting, and his locks wouldn't tie themselves up on fierce knots like those the red, thick mane always came up with. 

"I should cut it all," he huffed, knowing he would never do it. Knotty or not, it was a pretty hair and he was proud of it. And certainly he wouldn't give Hatanaka-san, his mother's new... well... boyfriend, that pleasure. Kurama had no real quarrel with the guy - he seemed to be honest and respectful, if somewhat old-fashioned, and he truly cared about Shiori - but his funny comments about his long hair, careful dressing and polite ways annoyed him. Humans could be so narrow-minded sometimes...

After a hundred strokes his scalp was hurting, and not a few strands were entwined around his tired fingers, but his locks seemed at last clear of the toughest knots. He had yet to try the comb...

By the corner of the eye, he saw Hiei stir on his contemplative posture. He drawn up one leg closer to his chest, the other dangling freely a couple of inches over the floor. Kurama noticed the slack grip the Jaganshi had on his katana and realized that, compared to the brutal tension he had been through in that terrible island, Hiei was quite relaxed now. 

He certainly deserved it. They all did. After all, they were the new champions of the great Dark Tournament. It cost them too much, and none of them would ever be the same again. 

A mischievous smile crossed the redhead's face. Just how much more relaxed could the Fire Demon get to be? "Hiei, will you please comb my hair?"

His words still hung in the air as the katana fell on the carpet with a mute thump. _Ah, that relaxed..._

"What?!" Hiei had turned his back to the window to plainly face the fox. Kurama wasn't sure of the true essence of the swirling shades he could detect in his friend's eyes, but the simple fact that he could see the other's confusion was enough to prove how unusually unguarded Hiei was at that quiet moment of peace. 

"My hair's all tangled again. Will you help me?"

Hiei snorted, stepping quickly on the katana hilt, causing the blade to jump in the air in a gracious arc and land smoothly on its owner's palm. "I can help you, all right," he said, standing in a ready-to-combat stance. 

"Drop that thing!" Kurama used the comb to "cross swords" with a playful grin. "Or I'll make lots of little pigtails in **your** hair."

"I'd like to see you try." But there was no real challenge in Hiei's grumble. As if to verify that, he slowly approached the bed, dropping the katana on the sheets and sitting at the Youko's back. Hesitant fingertips ran through the crimson strands, as Hiei took the comb in his bandaged hand. "It's soggy," he complained.

"Forgot the dryer back home."

"Hn." Moving swiftly, Hiei brought the comb to untangle the damp mane.

"Ouch!" Kurama winced in pain. "Easy, Hiei! You're gonna tear my head off!"

"It'd be a lot easier with the katana." But his next try was a lot softer, almost ticklish. "Looks like a rat's nest."

"Okay, so let's talk about those funny spikes of yours."

Hiei gave no answer, his attention now focused at the task at hand. Kurama smiled, his mind drifting with the warm waves caused by the Fire Demon's gentle touch. Hiei was astoundingly relaxed, compared to his usual laconic ways, as if he was too tired to keep the scowling façade.

And maybe he was. Sharing that hotel room for long weeks didn't give Hiei much opportunity to be alone as Kurama would seldom be out of sight, and never too far away. _I've known him for almost four years already, but he always came and went as he wished,_ thought the redhead. _This time he was stuck with me._

Kurama had expected trouble. Nasty quarreling, bickering, fights... But the little youkai's ill temper didn't exceed its usual during that period. Many evenings they spent in comfortable silence in their room, Kurama with a book, Hiei perched contemplatively on the windowsill, while Kuwabara and Yusuke had fun with the girls. One respected the reserved ways of the other, and their companionship sailed on undisturbed. 

But...

__

There's always a 'but', ne? Kurama muttered to himself. 

Sometimes the silence between them felt **too** comfortable. It made the Youko think of a man who adds a spoonful of sugar to his coffee, oblivious to the fact that that sugar came from a cane plantation where seven-year-old kids worked for tips in the harvest, often having their limbs mutilated by the cutting tools. The two demon friends would lie back in their seats, mute and cozy, doing their best to ignore a murderous sandstorm blowing outside. That was how Kurama felt at least.

In what exactly that "sandstorm" consisted, the Youko couldn't say. It was just a vague feeling, a pale sensation, a faint intuition that secrecy sneaked on him. On them. But until he got a better impression of the problem, Kurama wouldn't mention it.

For now, he would only enjoy the restoration of the friendship between them, knowing how fortunate he was for still having it. Kurama wondered if any other demon would have forgiven his double-cross during the stealing of the Reikai treasures. Hiei still showed some bitterness about the whole thing now and then, but none of the rage and resentment the Youko had expected. Apparently the Fire Demon was simply not the kind of guy who kept hard feelings. _Even when he should._

Sometimes, that partial opening and lack of rancor that Hiei offered him would start to tempt him into dangerous games. The youkai was so funny to tease... He had the sort of soberness and uptight attitude that would leave an impish kitsune like Kurama just dying to see him slip on a banana peel. And the redhead could nudge him about his short height, his spiky hair, his baby-like features and his beautiful little sister, watch him blush with contempt, knowing that Hiei's vicious snarling wouldn't have any serious consequences afterwards. Summing it all up, the diminutive youkai was the perfect victim to a Youko's mischief. 

Kurama was quite aware that someday he might cross the line with his jests. And the danger made part of the fun. "That feels good..."

"What? Having a rat's nest in your head?"

"Your hands in my hair... Has anyone told you that you are a born coiffeur, Hiei?"

"A what?!" Hiei eyed him suspiciously. He had been called lots of names in his life. Mostly ugly names. His answer to those calls used to be swift and definitive. 

The Youko giggled. "A hairdresser," he explained. Even after all those years in Ningenkai, some details of the human culture were still a mystery for the youkai. _Not that he seems too intent in learning them anyway..._

Hiei frowned. "You mean like that sissy guy with ridiculous earrings who cuts your hair every month?" He sounded **really** offended. "I should really cut this damned mop off..."

But Kurama was too amused to care about the muttered threat. "I don't believe it, Hiei! You've been spying me in the hairdresser?" He didn't have to turn his head to know that the Jaganshi was blushing behind him.

"Hn. There's nothing to do in this miserable world." Hiei sounded a lot like a kid caught with a porno magazine in the bathroom. 

"Nothing better than watching me having my hair cut?" No wonder Kurama loved to tease Hiei so much. _Inari, he's adorable!_

"At least while I have my eyes on you I know you're not plotting against me," Hiei replied defensively. 

Kurama smiled. _And some people think Hiei's emotions are hard to read..._ The redhead had no problems with it at all. For him, the Fire Demon was an open book, with all his aloofness and apathy. The usual impassivity of that angular face was somehow powerless in fooling Kurama. 

It hadn't been always like this, of course. What a mess the two of them had made while trying to fool each other in the past years... But after their trial in Reikai, when they were both sentenced to serve as Tantei in parole, it seemed as if a blindfold had been taken from Kurama's eyes and two giant corks had been pulled from his ears to which concerned Hiei's ways. 

In the very manner he silenced, the short youkai said a lot. And the reluctant crush Hiei had on him couldn't be more noticeable if it was written in red on the bandanna that covered the Jagan. 

__

Should I...? The idea crossed Kurama's mind a thousand times already. It didn't look like a good idea. Hiei was the only demon he had as a friend nowadays, the only one who understood him thoroughly. Civilized creatures like the youkos had no problems sharing sex with friends now and then... Physical attraction between allies and chums was almost so common to be obligatory, and it could be easily dealt with if all the people involved had the sense not to take personal feelings to the bed. 

But Hiei? A half-koorime Fire Demon? Young and probably inexperienced? Kurama would have bet his last strand of hair that Hiei **would** take a casual fuck too seriously... and ruin their perfect tacit agreement. No, not a good idea at all. 

Furthermore, Hiei was not really Kurama's type. _He's cute and all... attractive in his own way... but what's the fun in a lover so short that you can put him in your pocket?_

Since he had started his new life in Ningenkai, the closest Kurama had got to having sex was a clumsy not-so-tasty kiss stolen by a girl in his class when he was eleven. Not that he had lost interest on the pleasures of the flesh - far from it. But that body took **long years** to be ready and minimally equipped for the task... _Going through puberty once was hell... but twice?_ he moaned to himself. 

At fifteen, he was now more than ready and equipped and interested. But whom would he have for a partner? A human teen girl with dreams of marriage and beautiful kids? An adult who could be sentenced to prison for seducing a minor? A professional who would know nothing about pleasing a Youko, with no chance of matching his inventiveness? The search for suitable candidates had been unfruitful so far.

Not too rarely his eager instincts froze in a longing ache in his groin and mind, especially during the last few years, when his body began to be direly assailed by maddening hormones. And then he would find himself gazing at Hiei out of the corner of the eye, wondering, evaluating, shamefully considering taking a youngster he wouldn't have looked twice in his past life. 

On the other hand, Hiei's reluctance in openly admitting the crush felt like a mild insult to the Youko's pride. Kurama wanted at least to be wanted, and that his rebuff was lamented. To his annoyance, Hiei sometimes looked almost relieved that the interest wasn't mutual. 

So teasing the Fire Demon with mocking seduction was an irresistible dangerous game to the mischievous kitsune too. 

"Where did you get the new sword?" Kurama asked in a soft tone.

"None of your business," Hiei shrugged. 

"Seems bigger."

"What do **you** know about swords?" the youkai growled.

__

So it **_is_** bigger, the redhead concluded. "Lots. Want me to show you?"

"No."

"Come on, Hiei, let me hold your sword for a moment and I'll show you my talents."

Kurama expected an incensed scolding from his friend for the double-meaning proposition, but Hiei just snorted. "Hn. I'm not letting you touch anything that is mine."

__

No scolding? No blushing? Kurama was disappointed. And curious. The Fire Demon was subverting the rules of the game: Kurama sees the door ajar and knocks with a veiled invitation; Hiei panics and shuts it. Frightening the seemingly dauntless youkai was the main fun in it. 

But now Hiei had only stuck out his tongue at him, and left the door ajar yet, in a clear "Who's afraid of the big bad Youko?" challenge. Kurama pursed his lips. _Be afraid, Hiei. Or I'm gonna blow your little straw house to the airs._

"Well, I have no reservation in letting you touch my hair like this," Kurama replied lazily. "Maybe I should have you combing it for me every morning."

"Don't you think I have better things to do than combing your hair?" Hiei countered moodily. 

The Youko grinned. "If you found nothing better to do than watching me in the hairdresser..." 

"Sometimes watching is better than doing."

The quick naughty reply brought goose pimples to Kurama's arms. _Turning the tables on me, aren't you?_ "So Ningenkai should be an interesting place for you, Jaganshi. There are lots to watch around."

"I prefer having my eyes on you," Hiei stated calmly, but with a fervent edge to his low voice. "All my eyes."

Kurama blushed. And felt pathetic for it. "Really?" 

"You bet."

__

Inari... The sudden twist in the game was getting the Youko fairly aroused. "You watch me all the time?"

Hiei left the comb on his lap, using his chubby fingers to disentangle a wild knot under Kurama's nape. "Won't give you any chance to plot against me, I told ya." 

The door was fully open._ What if I really try to enter?_ Kurama mused, leaning back a little, letting his head rest loose on his friend's hands.

"Don't go sleepy on me, Kurama," was the immediate harsh reaction. "I can't see what I'm doing." 

__

Too much. Too soon. "Sorry." Kurama sat straight again, with a bitter grin. "I guess the sea-breeze makes me a little drowsy." 

"Hn."

__

You see, Hiei? My game. You're no match for it. However, Kurama could not savor his victory. He was still lonely, with an unattended arousal squeezed by his tight pants. But what was he thinking? He wasn't seriously considering screwing that little thing, was he? Maybe it was a good thing that they were finally leaving the hotel. Spending so much time so close to each other was giving Kurama weird ideas. 

Conversely, now that the Tournament was over, he wasn't all that eager to go back anymore. "Go figure... I think I actually like this place."

"What?"

__

Did I say that aloud? Kurama shrugged. "This island. It's not noisy, crowded, and smelly like Tokyo. You can breathe without coughing, you can sleep without being awaken by police sirens..."

"You can die without noticing..." Hiei added.

"Easy, Hiei," Kurama protested. "The fights are over now."

"The official fights are over," the youkai corrected him. "So now we're back to the usual system. No rules. No teams. No count to ten to determine the winner. Either you're alive when the combat is over, or you're not."

"The team keeps on, Hiei," the redhead retorted. 

"Oh great." The reply was nothing but sarcastic. "I feel so relieved hearing that..." The Fire Demon took the comb again, expressing his contempt in strong severe strokes on the red mane. 

"Uhn... loose it up, okay?" Kurama winced. _That hurts!_ "We're both still in parole, so we're both still stuck with Yusuke and Kuwabara. But try to look on the bright side."

"Which is..."

"The pleasure of my company." 

Hiei sighed, softening the combing. "Don't you ever get tired of yourself?"

"Not often," the Youko chuckled. 

"Good for you. Coz I do."

"Oh..." Kurama bit his lip to stop the laughter. "You get tired of yourself?" _You're no match for me, I told you._

But instead of scowling at the wise crack, Hiei took it literally. "That wasn't what I meant. But I guess I often get tired of myself too."

Kurama grimaced. _Why can't I enjoy a single victory over you today, Hiei?_ "I'm not surprised... There's no reason to be moody about this place anymore. If you really look at it without probing for sneaking enemies, you'd notice how beautiful it is."

"Was that what you were doing when you let that dark-haired crow plant those bombs around you?" the youkai sniffed. "Enjoying the view?"

The Youko's shoulders tensed instantly. "Do me a favor, Hiei. Don't ever mention that weirdo's name again."

"I didn't," Hiei smirked. 

Kurama rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I **wasn't** enjoying the view."

"Not your type either?"

"No," was the vehement answer. 

That was unusual. The Fire Demon would seldom be that straightforward on that subject. _And what did he mean by "either"? Was he reading my mind a minute ago?_

"So you wanted the others to enjoy the view," Hiei concluded. 

The redhead frowned. "What others?"

"I don't know. Others. Your audience. You always make every fight of yours look like this huge deadly spectacle."

"Don't you think that the martial arts can be beautiful?" Kurama argued.

"They can be," Hiei conceded. "They might be. But you... you seem to think they **should** be."

"So?"

"Sometimes I think you might agreeably die if you thought your death would be more beautiful than killing your opponent." The youkai huffed. "You're nuts, Kurama. I have no idea how you managed to live for so long. You kept dancing with that guy and his bombs and your plants... it felt like I was watching a peepshow."

The Youko turned his head slightly to see the short youkai's face. "Did it turn you on?"

"No," Hiei replied with mirrored vehemence. Pulling the red hair, he forced Kurama to look away again. "Sit straight. I can't comb your hair like this."

__

Where are we going with this conversation? Kurama wondered, more than a bit apprehensive. "I think you give me too much credit for my fighting skills, Hiei. Karasu was a terrifying enemy. I really fought my best... and for a moment I thought it wouldn't be enough."

"He scared you," the youkai accused.

"Yes." Kurama hadn't told his friend about that encounter in one of the corridors of the stadium, or the words of love and death uttered by the tall demon with long slick black hair. He was sure Hiei wouldn't understand him anyway.

"So why didn't you throw all you got over him right when the round started? Why did you keep playing with him?" 

"Why did you keep playing with Bui before using the Kokuryuuha?" Kurama riposted. "And when you did, why didn't you absorb the Black Dragon in your body right from the start, since it makes you so much powerful? And why the hell did you let him spank you like that when he had no chance of defeating you?"

"Were you worried about me, Kurama?" Hiei asked mischievously.

"No." Again the vehement denial. That was quite an interesting game. Kurama only wished he knew the rules. _Was that the reason, Hiei? To see if I cared?_

"I was just testing him," the youkai shrugged. 

"No, you were scared too. You were afraid of where your own powers might take you."

The Fire Demon didn't react.

"I was afraid of that too," Kurama confessed. "I'm not the same Youko anymore... but in that moment, I was. And I knew that if..." He trailed off. "Forget it. You won't understand."

He thought Hiei would insist, but it didn't happen. The youkai just kept combing the red locks in silence. And once again, Kurama was disappointed. _I was the one who left the door ajar this time,_ he mused. _But you didn't knock._

He sighed, trying to relax and enjoy the soft tending Hiei was giving his hair. His body still hurt with the many wounds caused by those damned bombs, and he longed for a vacation - for in a week more he would have to go back to school, with the end of the holidays. He even thought about staying a little longer and savor the sun at the beach, and the fresh fragrant air that rushed through the green forest that circled the hotel. But he knew better than bringing this subject up to Hiei. "Anyway. All in all, we hit it off here, and we even managed to have some fun."

"Did we?" Hiei's tone was puzzled.

Kurama shrugged. "I did. I'm taking a lot of fond memories with me."

"Fond memories of what? Fighting, running, killing, bleeding to death?"

"Well, that wasn't what I meant, but why not?" the redhead insisted.

"Ya crazy, Kurama," Hiei muttered.

"Maybe. But I'm not the only one. Last night Yusuke was telling me how he would miss Chuu and Jin, and Kuwabara was still bragging about a rematch with Rinku, Suzuki and Shishi Wakamaru." 

"And what would **you** miss? Roto's threats to your ningen mother? That rotten machine that Ichigaki threw at us in the forest? The beat-up Bakuken gave you **after** you passed out? Hn... or perhaps the weirdo whose name I won't say..."

"Hiei..."

"Fond memories... You're really nuts, Kurama," Hiei mocked, punctuating the last sentence with a vigorous stroke of the comb.

Kurama winced again, both at the pain and at his friend's words. "Okay, I admit my opponents were all a little too rough to make me really miss them."

"A little too rough? A **little** too rough?" Hiei gaped. "Is there anything in your head besides this?" he asked, now willingly pulling his hair.

"OUCH! What's your problem, Hiei? Never found an opponent who fascinated you? Someone with that stunning gleam in the eye, with a superbly strong spirit, someone you wanted to fight once again?"

Hiei pondered about that, resuming the combing. "Most of my opponents don't live to fight again, Kurama."

__

That's no boasting, Kurama mused. There was none in Hiei's tone, and the statement reflected nothing but the crude truth. The Jaganshi's attacks were very pragmatic: fast, indefensible, and utterly destructive. The combination of his astounding speed, the implanted Jagan, and the Makai Fire turned Hiei into a dreadful enemy to anyone who would stand in his way. With such a ravaging force, it was hard for him **not** to kill his adversaries, and everyone in sight along with them. 

"Bui survived," the redhead remembered. 

"Hn."

"Why didn't you kill him, Hiei?" Kurama didn't really need to ask. He knew. But it was always interesting to see if the youkai would admit it or not.

"If a guy wants to die, he should do it all by himself," Hiei muttered, "instead of bothering others with his blood."

__

Of course, Hiei has his peculiar way of being honest, the Youko smirked. "I kept watching you during that fight."

"Enjoying the view?"

__

You're not done with the game yet, Hiei? "Actually I was paying attention to your eyes."

The short demon frowned, but didn't reply. 

Kurama paused what he was going to say, startled when no smart-ass retort came. As quick as it had opened, the door closed again. _Did I scare you again? Just because I mentioned your eyes?_ "You know what I saw?"

The air froze at the Youko's back. Again no answer was uttered.

"Sheer rapture..." Kurama completed. 

"Rapture?" Hiei echoed in a hoarse hiss. 

"The clash of your powers with Bui's... the clash of your spirits. I never saw you so entranced, so gleeful. Not even when you fought Yusuke."

"Oh... that." The Fire Demon shrugged. "It was nice to find someone who was not a completely wimp for a change."

__

Damn! Missed it! Whatever it was that Hiei was so afraid that might have been spotted in his eyes, Kurama failed to hit it. "Then you know the feeling. Wouldn't you like to face Bui once more?"

"Why? I won."

"Maybe he'll seek a rematch."

"He won't," the youkai said firmly. "There'd be no point to it."

"But..."

"Drop it, Kurama," Hiei warned. "He won't. I wasn't his goal, just a step to get him closer to the fight he was really longing for. When I beat him, I ruined his scaling. And now it just doesn't matter anymore. If he had to fight me again, no matter the winner of this rematch, all he would get is the reminder of a loss he can't make up for."

"Hiei..." The sadness in his voice... "You regret having won?"

"I regret nothing."

__

Now **that** is boasting! Kurama smirked. But he changed the subject anyway. "What about Yusuke?"

"What about him?"

"Wouldn't you like to fight him again?"

Hiei scowled. "Of course I would. I will," he amended. 

"So..."

"So what? I don't want a rematch because I have "fond memories" of that fight, as you said. We have unfinished business to settle."

"Oh come on," the Youko chided. "You aren't still mad at Yusuke because he called you a cockroach, are you?"

Kurama was able to feel the youkai's glare burning his nape. "If I were to care about flimsy things like that," Hiei snarled, "you really think I would have let you live?"

That one could be boasting. On the other hand, maybe it wasn't. But Kurama wasn't frightened. He was confident that the Fire Demon had no plans of ruining the comfortable friendship between them. 

__

Or is it because I'm "really nuts"? Who else would have the nerve of provoking Hiei like he did, as frequently as he did? It wasn't like he didn't know what would be coming his way if the short youkai got really pissed. _But it sure is exciting to have the master of the Black Dragon brushing my hair..._

"Nah, Hiei... I think I would still be alive anyway," Kurama bragged.

"Oh really?" The youkai snorted. 

Honestly, the Youko wasn't sure. The only time he had dueled against Hiei for real had been many years before, when his friend was no more than a D-class demon, and Kurama himself had to deal with a younger, feebler human body that couldn't yet manage the extent of his Youko powers. _If I could summon my real form again..._ He sometimes wondered about the outcome of a new confrontation between them.

"Well, I survived you when we first met, and with flying-colors, remember?" Kurama teased. "And you know what? I have very fond memories of that day."

Fingers closed harshly around the red locks. 

Kurama ignored them. "Specially of you lying flat on the ground," he mocked, turning slightly to see the other's reaction.

He regretted the scoffing immediately. Hiei's face had turned into a frightful mask, blood-colored eyes half-closed in a spiteful glare, sharp fangs exposed between stiff lips. The Jagan glowed under the white bandanna, and Kurama shivered at how much those glinting ruby eyes resembled the Black Dragon's just before one of its raging charges.

"Hi-Hiei...?" Had he finally crossed the line? _I can't believe he's still so sensitive about this!_

"You have fond memories of **that**?" Hiei's voice was barely a husky whisper, each word throbbing in the Youko's ears, the edgy tone reminding him of the Dragon's shrieking roar. 

__

So much for his relaxed mood, Kurama thought grimly. "Of course I have," he answered, doing his best to keep his voice from faltering. "It was great to find someone able to present me a real challenge." He hoped deeply that Hiei would catch the compliment and cool off. The grip on his hair was getting quite painful to his scalp. Kurama waited anxiously as his words struck home, keeping a firm stare on the red eyes.

Hiei's response was far from what he expected. The furious scowl contorted in a wild grimace, as eyebrows arched hazily and the tiny mouth popped up, fangs vanishing from sight. Cheeks trembled as the demon's emotions convoluted over his face, too mixed up for Kurama to grasp. Hiei looked almost funny. Almost. "Challenge?" he managed at last. "Me?"

__

What does he want? Flattery? "Come on, Hiei. I survived but I didn't win. It was a tie, okay? And I know I'd have had a real hard time if you weren't wounded when we fought. Now calm down and let me go before you make me bald."

Hiei did let go of his hair, but his expression was turning weirder every second, while he stared at the Youko as if he had never seen him before. Kurama was frantic. _Who would believe that? I was so good in reading his feelings when he kept his face a blank mask, now it seems like his soul is exploding right before my eyes and I don't have a clue of what's happening!_

But then suddenly peace came back to his friend's demeanor, like a blazing spark dismantling a dark cloud, as understanding dawned on him. "You mean... when we first met **here**," he sighed. 

And as if nothing had happened, Hiei returned to the combing very gently, handling each strand with such a care that caused Kurama to gasp. The Youko shuddered, feeling the sudden drop of heat around him, realizing Hiei had summoned his dark, warm ki in his anger, bathing both of them with the fiery energy of his spirit. Now that the ki vanished from his senses, Kurama had the impression of being drowned in icy water.

Something inside him pleaded to drop the subject and give thanks that the matter was closed without any bloodshed, but he just couldn't hold his natural foxy curiosity. He had just crossed a huge hurricane, without knowing what had caused it, much less how he managed to avoid its fury. And that simply wasn't good enough.

__

When we first met... "**here**"? What's that supposed to mean? Here where? In Ningenkai? But then... Green eyes shimmered in alarm. "Hiei?"

Hiei gave no sign of hearing and Kurama shifted on the bed to sit facing him. The movement pulled the soft strands of hair the youkai had been tending to so absorbedly out of his hand. But Hiei's only reaction was transferring his attention to one of the redhead's long sidelocks, fiercely avoiding meeting the green staring eyes. 

"Hiei?" Kurama tried again, speaking slowly, almost whispering. "Have we met before?"

A slight frown crossed the Fire Demon's brow.

Kurama gulped. "Before I came to the Ningenkai?"

A little twitch on Hiei's lips.

__

Uh-oh... "In the Makai? In my Youko form?"

The eyelids narrowed.

"I-I don't remember," Kurama confessed, now truly worried. _What the hell have I done?_ Youko Kurama had been no gentle flower... and some memories of that life sorely dismayed Shuuichi Minamino's part of their combined soul.

"It's not important," Hiei muttered.

__

Could have fooled me, Kurama mused sarcastically. "But... we **really** met? I mean, did we actually talk to each other?"

"Sort of," was the brief answer.

"And we exchanged our names?"

The Fire Demon frowned deeply at that. "You said yours. And I sort of said mine."

__

Oh Inari... "We had a fight?"

"Sort of."

__

Youko Kurama fought a D-classed - or even lower - Hiei? "Not a fair fight, I presume," he bit his lip. _Please say "sort of", please..._

"Nope."

The door between them was left wide open. And through the passage entered the murderous sandstorm Kurama had predicted.

He tried hard to remember. Was it possible? Hiei had not exactly an ordinary semblance. _How could I have forgotten him?_

But that wasn't nearly the important question there. "Hiei?" he whispered. "What happened?"

The youkai kept combing the tips of Kurama's locks in deep silence. 

"Hiei, please," asked the redhead, holding the demon's small hands. "Tell me."

"It doesn't matter anymore," Hiei sighed. 

"I wanna be the judge of that," the Youko insisted. "Along with you."

At last the Fire Demon raised his eyes to face his taller teammate. "You already judged it. You forgot."

__

Is that an accusation? Or relief? "Then remind me. If it really doesn't matter, I'll forget again. If it does matter..."

The youkai offered him a weird lopsided smile. In some way it seemed Hiei had returned to that strange relaxation of the beginning of the conversation. "We met. We wanted the same thing. We fought. You won."

Huffing, Kurama shook his head. "I think you'll have to elaborate a little more..."

Hiei hesitated, considering the demand. "No rematches, Kurama. Of any kind. I need your promise."

The Youko arched an eyebrow, suspicious about the little demon's tone. _If I won, why would I want a rematch? And if I won in a dirty fight, why wouldn't **he** want a rematch?_ "I'm not sure if I can promise you that."

"Then forget it."

"I need to know!" the redhead protested.

"Why?"

Kurama blinked. "What?"

"Why do you need to know? Didn't you just say that you're not that same Youko anymore? It's past, history, done and over. Forget it."

"**You** didn't forget, Hiei."

The Fire Demon gently pulled his hands free from Kurama's grasp, leaning back to rest his shoulders against the head of the bed. "Ever heard of a thing called 'perfect memory'?"

Kurama's eyes widened. That was a rare anomaly among demons, the ability of keeping a perfect register of all past experiences undamaged in the brain. 

In other words, the physical incapability of forgetting anything. 

__

He has a perfect memory? The redhead gaped. "Why did you never tell me?"

"Why would I?"

__

Good point, the Youko admitted. _That was the basic rule, right? I respect your privacy, you respect mine, we stay together in silence._ But that was not enough anymore. "Tell me what happened, Hiei."

"No rematches?"

"I..." That was too large a promise.

"If something was lost there, we can't make up for it, Kurama," Hiei murmured. "Trust me."

A request Hiei wouldn't make lightly, the Youko recognized. "All right," he agreed at last. "No rematches."

The Fire Demon nodded solemnly, and Kurama prepared to hear the story, still wondering how he could have forgotten all about it. 

But Hiei didn't say a word more. Instead, he untied the white bandanna, opening the evil violet gleaming Jagan.

"Wait, Hiei," Kurama freaked out. "What are you do...?"

Even for a Youko with Kurama's power and experience it was hard to beat this Fire Demon's speed. He didn't even see Hiei's fingers approaching to touch his brow, right in its center, causing the worst headache Kurama had felt in centuries. 

The walls of the room melted down in liquid colors, rushing into his head through the spot his skin met Hiei's. Kurama closed his eyes against the storming swirl of burning shapes that threatened to smash his brain, as a squeaking whistle cut through his ears in a desperate wail, making him sick to his stomach. 

But the nausea was brief, and soon he found himself very relaxed and warm, his mind enveloped in bluish light, bittersweet smells flowing up to his nostrils. 

Kurama smiled. Long before opening his eyes he knew he was back home. 

Not to his suburban home at Tokyo. 

He was back to the wild green forests of the Makai, feeling the blood-scented wind blowing through his silver hair.

****

~*~

__

September 29th, 2000

To be continued...

****

This story is part of the [**Eien no Hakusho**][1]** timeline.**

   [1]: http://www.geocities.com/morgan_d_br/eien/eien.html



	2. Part Two

****

Fond Memories  
_by Morgan D._

~*~**_  
Yu Yu Hakusho_** belongs to Yoshihiro Togashi, Shueisha, Studio Pierrot, Fuji TV and Jump Comics, but its amazing characters are simply too cute to be left alone. I'm making no money from this, just lots of friends who are just as crazy as I am, or even worse - that is enough reward for me.

Shounen Ai.

To Curruira _("Eu não conheci o outro mundo por querer!")  
_~*~

****

Part Two

Youko Kurama started, widening his golden eyes, crouching down in his hiding behind the thorny bushes. He shook his head, blinking the sleepiness away. _Why am I that tired? I can't believe I dozed off in the middle of a hunt!_ Luckily, his prey hadn't got away in that moment of distraction.

He put a hand on the ground before him, supporting his weight in a steadier balance, ready to jump as soon as the Makai rabbit moved just a little closer. The fluffy animal munched some leaves a few meters away, its greenish-gray fur rippling contentedly, long black ears twitching in quick fidgety movements. It seemed to know that its sharp teeth and tiny claws wouldn't save it from a bigger, smarter predator.

Silently, Kurama waited for the tiny rabbit to come closer, evaluating the fat flesh of its back, mentally running the list of possible herbs and spices that would fit the salty strong meat. His mouth watering in expectation, he suppressed a frustrated sigh when the critter turned away, moving to snatch a leaf in a farther bush. 

__

Perhaps I should change strategies, Kurama grinned, thinking about using his ki to grow the bush branches to trap the rabbit. He wouldn't have as much fun as he had had so far, lurking his prey and just following his kitsune instincts. Kurama thought of hunting as more than a daily necessity. There was a sacred ritual to it, one that demanded patience and practice, and offered delightful proximity to Inari and the forces of nature. _But I've got to eat sometime..._

He felt the rush of youki a millisecond before the dark blur crossed his field of vision. A loud thump and a metallic tickling crashed down right in front of him as a tiny body, slightly larger than the Makai rabbit, came smashing the bush.

Kurama grunted. _Where did this come from? Why didn't I feel the youki before?_

No time to bother with answers, if he still wanted to catch dinner. He jumped over that strange dark thing at his feet, flexing vigorous muscles, arching his slender figure through the air, sticking his nails into the tender fur and flesh, drawing thick gushes of blood. The end came too quick to the Youko's taste - if felt somewhat anticlimactic. _You made your best, little one,_ Kurama complimented. _But I'm hungry._

He stood up, bringing the dead rabbit up to his left shoulder, smiling tightly to himself. His dinner had almost slipped away, scared by that sudden noisy intervention. Kurama didn't appreciate having his hunting ritual disturbed; a civilized being wouldn't have dared to interfere in such a precious moment. He turned curiously to the bush.

"Gimme back," the bush screamed in a hoarse yelping voice.

The Youko almost jumped at the words. He had thought he had competed over the rabbit with an animal predator with slight youki, or some irrational low-class demon. _What the hell...?_

A tiny dirty figure rose from among the foliage, and Kurama wondered why he wasn't sensing any ki anymore. It was an unbelievably short demon, dressed in damp, soiled rags, a raw string holding ridiculously large trousers at place. A greenish cloth covered the top of his head, tied very tightly by a firm knot behind his left ear. Around his neck was a thin tissue string, probably carrying some kind of pendant that disappeared behind that faded carmine poor excuse for a shirt. Tiny shoeless feet with large metal rings around his ankles held the raw-boned body on the toes, eagerly trying to give it a taller, broader, more threatening look, nonetheless barely reaching Kurama's knee.

"Gimme my rabbit," the little creature repeated.

The Youko arched an eyebrow, twitching his pointed furry ears in amusement. "**Your** rabbit?"

"Been huntin' for hours," complained the dwarfed demon. "Twas my prey."

__

Hours? That couldn't be true. The Youko had been lurking there for quite some time himself. Either the runt was largely overstating his efforts or Kurama had failed shamefully in detecting the alien demonic energy nearby. "Move faster next time, dwarf," Kurama argued. "You wouldn't have caught it anyway, even if I weren't here." _What a pathetic creature..._

Kurama turned away and started to leave, when he sensed the same rush of youki erupting at his back. Spinning to face the dwarf again, the Youko adopted a defensive stance, wondering how that miserable feeble demon with a failing ki could think he would present any menace to him.

But the reaction came already too late, as a fist-sized rock crashed against Kurama's cheek.

The dwarf smirked. "Givit to me, ya scum," said that weird voice, high-pitched tones tinged by deep hoarseness.

Kurama brushed slender fingers against his wounded face. The stoning had drawn blood. "You're that eager to die, dwarf?" the Youko hissed, offering the other a tight grin.

"**My** rabbit!" cried the youkai.

Kurama pretended to examine the carcass's rough fur. "If your name's written here somewhere I'll hand it to you. What's your name, runt?"

The dwarf flinched, biting hard his lower lip. He became very silent, staring angrily at the imposing Youko, all his limbs visibly stiff in sore tension.

Kurama dropped the carcass on the ground beside his feet. "You want it that badly, come and get it."

The youkai didn't move at all, looking dead rigid and detached, unconcerned by Kurama's stance, larger built and stronger, steadier ki. His small dirty face remained completely expressionless, as if never touched by any emotion. Even his breath had been reduced to an alarmingly slow pace, the fabric of his shirt barely rising as he sucked air in.

Youko Kurama waited. As minutes passed and the dwarf gave no sign of attacking, he wondered if that weird creature had just dozed off standing on his feet and with eyes open. Kurama sensed no youki, none at all, but even across the five meters that separated them he could feel the other's glacial gaze burning his skin.

__

This dwarf's not dangerous... he mused. _If he couldn't catch one silly rabbit, there's no way he can threaten me._ Still Kurama felt uneasy. There was something strange about that runt. Usually anger and fear would increase a youkai's ki, like a power shield ready for battle. _But this guy... I sense nothing._

Several minutes passed and the demon still stood like a lifeless sculpture, his only unblinking glare denouncing his non-submission to the stronger Youko. However, Kurama started to get tired of that game. The cut on his cheek had already dried and begun to heal, and so did his contempt about being so naively attacked.

__

This guy's nothing, he said to himself, shaking off his uneasiness. He reached down to get the rabbit, resting it again on his shoulder and turning to leave. As a farewell Kurama snorted disdainfully, although very attentive to any change in his adversary's attitude.

The youki flow struck Kurama's senses at lightening speed, snapping his mind into full attention. He was stunned at the speed with which the attack was engaged. But this time the dwarf moved too slowly. With a short jump ahead Kurama avoided the lancing body aimed at his back. 

However, despite his quick reaction, the Youko was unable to totally evade the youkai's reach, as he found himself being pulled back by his tail. The carcass of the rabbit fell on the ground a few feet away.

Turning to face the dwarf, Kurama tried to release his tail, in vain. The small youkai held it painfully tight, crouching down at his feet, offering a smug grin.

"Rabbit," was the single-worded request.

__

How impertinent! "Let it go, runt." Now that he could see closer, Kurama noticed that the strange demon had blood-red eyes, astoundingly deep and old, and all sort of bruises on his face. A bump in the forehead, partially covered by the green cloth; a deep cut on the chin; purple marks on his left cheek; swollen lips. "You're playing with the wrong guy here. Let go offf-- Aaaarrgh!"

Kurama was mystified. The creepy little bastard **bit** him. The Youko stared in shock at his tail, now crushed between tiny yet very sharp fangs, thin trails of thick blood sliding down the dwarf's chin.

"How **dare** you?" The yelled words were barely audible beneath the mad wild punches Kurama pounded the youkai with. In no time the dwarf's head and body were but a mass of cuts and bruises, and Kurama's fists were stained with the other's blood. 

The dwarf would do nothing to defend himself besides raising his arms in an useless effort to shield his head from the Youko's fury and strength. Still, he wouldn't let go of Kurama's tail, clenching his teeth as tight as he could.

Kurama pulled back, still slapping and kicking and punching, taking care to drag him away from the dead rabbit. But the dwarf's desperate bite didn't wane any even as he was hauled along with the Youko. 

But as Kurama continued to step back, his eyes widened in surprise. The youkai's feet slowly left the ground, and he seemed to float in the air, his body as taut as a wood stick, a few palms over the soil. _What?!_

Only then did Kurama notice the thin metal cable connecting the rings around the dwarf's ankles to a tree forty feet away . It was a cable made of amazingly strong material despite its thinness, commonly used by Makai hunters to fasten their hounds. Better than ordinary ropes, that kind of leash allowed the animals to run at their full speed without rendering their owners any risk of losing them. 

"Hounds" was actually a generalization, since Makai hunters would use any kind of irrational, ferocious, minimally tamable beast. But it was the first time Kurama ever saw that sort of restraining collar used on a youkai.

His tail was really aching now, not only from the deep bite that was oozing lots of blood, but also from the effort of holding the dwarf's weight up. Kurama was perplexed with the demon's persistence. Even battered to a pulp, his carmine tee shirt dripping thick red blood, his small dirty feet painfully blue and swollen, he just wouldn't give up, bravely sustaining his weight in the air by ankles and teeth.

__

Brute force won't work here, he concluded. It was time to try another approach.

Without warning Kurama jumped over the dwarf, bringing both of them down with a rib-breaking impact. The youkai's nape crashed hard against the rocky soil, and he raised his arms again to protect his face from Kurama's punches, never diminishing the pressure of his fangs in the furry tail.

It was the opening the Youko was waiting for. Straddling the thin body, he ran his slender fingers to the demon's sides... and tickled.

The dwarf's red eyes almost popped out from their sockets. He lowered his arms to guard the parts exposed to that unexpected assault, but all he managed was to imprison Kurama's hands close to his vulnerable flesh, the menacing fingertips still able to perpetrate the horrible torture. His diminutive body contorted, jerked, twitched in spasms, desperately trying to escape the teasing tickling, but firmly clutched down by the Youko's heavier built.

Even so, he did hold on... for about three minutes. Youko Kurama, who considered himself the best tickler in Makai, was almost giving up to that weird dwarf's pluck when at last his tail was spilled out from that swollen mouth to open space to a wild husky laughter.

"Ssss-stop!" The frail words sounded hurt and ashamed, even enveloped by the mad giggling. "Don't! Ya... ahnnn... can't... no..."

But now Youko Kurama was enjoying himself. Hoisting his tail away from the dwarf's reach, he continued the furious tickling until the small demon started to pant in anguish, unable to breathe. Only then did Kurama grab the other's wrists and let his own weight fall hard on the tiny body, immobilizing him completely. The silver mane fell over them like a silky veil, hindering the dwarf from seeing anything apart from the triumphant gaze above him.

"You're lucky, runt. At least you'll have a happy death." 

The dwarf painstakingly restored his breathing to an even pace, glaring daggers, but otherwise not offering any more resistance. Kurama winced. Their faces were only a few centimeters apart and he could see every single bruise in that injured face. The dwarf stank terribly, sweat and blood spread all over his cheeks and chin, and the Youko felt his gauzy clothes getting damp with that same concoction where his body touched the youkai's. 

In his blind fury, Kurama had hurt the other badly. "Don't worry, I'm putting you out of your misery," he whispered, unsure if he was still saying it in anger, or mercy. 

"So whatcha wait for, scum?" the dwarf challenged.

"You **are** eager to die, aren't you?" Kurama frowned. _So bold... yet so weak. He's good masking his ki, but nothing more._

"Yar smell's disgustin'."

The Youko almost laughed. "**My** smell?! You seem to have spent a whole year in a sty!"

"Two," the dwarf corrected indifferently. "Still ya smell worse. Ya killin' me or not?"

Kurama hesitated. Two years living in a sty? Being imprisoned, maybe even used, as a mere hound? Any Youko would be eager to die after such humiliation. _But no Youko would be so puny to allow to be treated like that..._ "I'm doing you a favor, runt. What's the point of living like this, like a beast?"

The dwarf's eyes were dry and distant. Just waiting.

"Maybe you'll get luckier in your next life," Kurama suggested, amazed at his own sincerity. He found himself truly hoping for a better fate to that ridiculous creature that had challenged him so insolently. 

"I am if don't smell yar stink."

The Youko chuckled. "Oh my... you do have balls, don't you?" As the youkai shivered, Kurama chuckled louder, letting go of one of his hands to reach down and palm the dwarf's crotch. "Petty insect, you think you have huge balls, don't you?" 

The dwarf flinched under the Youko's teasing grip, but a lot less than Kurama had expected. And it took a moment until Kurama realized that he wasn't palming exactly what he had expected either. 

The red eyes kept staring up, old and glacial. But the face framing that tired look wasn't old at all. Bruised and bumped as it was, that pale skin was too soft, too smooth... the little hand Kurama was holding against the ground... the weird way of talking... the size of the demon... and now the evidence the Youko could sense beneath the fabric of those large dirty pants...

Kurama gasped in shock. "Inari-sama... You're just a baby!!!"

The kid's eyes narrowed, and he used the free hand to slap the Youko's cheek hard. "I'm no baby! Ya kill me or don't?"

Kurama grabbed the other's hand and pinned it down, trying to figure how old that child was. It was difficult to guess without knowing his species, but he couldn't be older than... four? _Inari... this **is** a baby..._

The boldest, meanest, strongest baby he had ever heard about. 

"Shuddup, ya stinky fox," the kid growled threateningly. "Shut yar stinky mouth or I... I..."

"You what, baby?"

The infant hesitated for a while, but soon a new idea brightened his face with the most impish smile. "I piss on yar dress."

Kurama blinked, watching that broad defiant grin formed by the swollen lips of the child. The confident grin of one who knew that would never be beaten. 

The Youko couldn't stand it anymore. Letting go of the kid, he sat back on the ground... and laughed. He laughed loud and hard until his stomach ached so much that he couldn't breath, and tears ran don his face. "Baby... you're priceless..." Then he lied on his side, arms holding his belly, completely taken by the mad laughter. 

Heavily insulted, the kid staggered towards the Youko, too injured to stand up straight. "Ya askin' for it, Fox." 

Kurama raised his eyes to see the diminutive boy brandishing a tiny fist at him... and laughed even more. "Inari... I'm so scared..." 

The kid was furious now. Taking advantage of the Youko's position, he moved closer to the tall demon's rear.

He kicked Kurama's ass with all his strength. 

The yelp of pain and surprise from the Youko offered but a brief taste of victory to the boy. Soon he felt his small body being hauled harshly to the silver-haired fox's lap. "Don't try my patience, baby," Kurama warned. "I still think that killing a weak creature like you might be an act of mercy."

"I'm no baby!" the kid shouted, squirming in vain to get free from Kurama's hold. "Ya talk lots and do nothing. If ya gonna kill, just kill."

"You're no baby?" the Youko grinned. "You're a big guy? Then let me tell you one thing: if a guy wants to die, he should do it all by himself, instead of bothering others with his blood."

A slight sense of _déjà vu_ nudged the back of Kurama's mind. _Where did I hear that before?_

"If ya don't kill, let go and gimme my rabbit!"

"You know who I am, baby?"

"A fox that stink, talk lots, act stupid and stole my rabbit!"

"I am Youko Kurama."

The solemn announcement failed to make any impression on the kid. "Hn. Stupid Fox."

Once again the vague sensation of familiarity hit Kurama. "I'm the oldest of my kind. I have lived for so long, longer than this forest around us, longer that you can imagine. I was already a strong demon at the time the Makai and Ningenkai were one sole world. There is still a mountain in the Human World named after me. And you think you're a match for me, baby?"

"I can be," said the boy stubbornly. 

"What's your name, baby?" 

Just as before, that question made the boy tense and somber, silencing his complaints. 

Kurama fingered the shackles on the kid's ankles. "Those who put this on you. How do they call you?"

"They don't."

"What?"

"They say, "give name to a hound and it thinks it's someone." But I'm no baby," the child muttered. 

__

What a nice policy, Kurama mused bitterly. "So you're no one."

The boy glared at the Youko, but said nothing.

"That's what you are, nothing, no one," Kurama repeated, getting on his feet while holding the child by the back of his collar several feet over the ground. "That's all you're gonna be for as long as you live like this, begging of strangers to be freed from your misery. If you're bold enough to torment me, then you should have the guts to take your life in your own hands and take it to where you wish to be, rather than just wait for your leash to be pulled around."

Kurama didn't expect that a kid so young would understand what he was saying, but to his surprise his little aggressor was quiet and attentive, hanging passively from the Youko's grip. "I confess I pity you," Kurama sighed. "What chance do you have in Makai, if you can't even catch a single rabbit after hours of hunting?"

"Damn leash made me fall," the boy groaned. 

The Youko was wondering about that. "And who's the imbecile who owns you? Binding a hound by the feet?! You must stumble on that cable all the time!"

"Twas on my neck before. They changed so I don't die."

Kurama frowned, trying to make sense of that bit of information. _With the leash attached to a collar, he could use it to hang himself..._ Had he tried? An infant seriously considering suicide? "What were you thinking, baby? You really thought you could beat me? Or were you expecting an act of charity?"

"Was hungry," the boy replied simply. But he didn't offer Kurama huge tear-stricken eyes, didn't pout, didn't pose as a poor helpless child. He crossed his small arms on his chest and glowered oddly at the Youko, very zealous of his pride. Definitely **not** expecting any charity. 

"You have a long way to go before rivaling my strength, silly baby. When you learn to run faster than thought, to stand as firm and solid as a rock, to summon enough youki to shine brighter than the sun, to move as silently as a shadow, then you may start to think about challenging me." He dropped the kid on the ground, more or less gently, and stepped away, moving towards the spot where he had left the rabbit's carcass. 

Examining his catch in the ground, Kurama thought about leaving it to the boy. If not the whole animal, perhaps a small portion. _The front legs? I never liked them much anyway..._ But soon he gave up the idea, gathering his prey and hanging it over his shoulder. "One ordinary day in Makai, baby," he commented. "You go out hunting and come home empty-handed, because someone was smarter, faster and stronger than you. You wanna survive, then learn your lesson."

"I'll getcha, Fox," the boy promised. "Ya'll be my prey."

Kurama smiled. "Before that, earn a name."

"I have a name," the child retorted sadly, for the first time really looking like a child. "Just don't like it."

The youko shrugged. "Then earn a better one. A big name to a big guy," he added with a snicker. 

The boy's demeanor recovered the hard edge instantly, once again giving him the appearance of an old wicked dwarf. "Like yars?" he snorted. 

"Why not?" Kurama chortled. "Who knows, if a puny thing like you manages to survive, you might actually deserve having the name of a mountain... You might call yourself... Arashi. Or Otowa." He turned his back on the angry kid and laughed, starting his way back to his own camp. "What about Pompon? Kannabe? Takao? Hiei?"

"Hiei?" echoed the boy's hoarse high-pitched voice. 

The _déjà vu_ feeling again... now stronger and annoying, buzzing painfully inside his skull. A squeaking whistle cut through his ears in a desperate wail, making him sick to his stomach. Kurama closed his eyes against the storming swirl of liquid colors that seemed to gush from his brow, right from its center, causing the worst headache he had felt in centuries. 

Nonetheless, Kurama sensed the burning shapes slowly beginning to solidify around him, as his mind was enveloped in soft amber light, a delicious perfume of pine and cherry flowing up to his nostrils.

The nausea receded, and soon he found himself very relaxed and warm... and protected. Kurama smiled. Long before opening his eyes he knew where he was.

Lying on his bed in the Kubikukuri Hotel, with his head nestled on Hiei's lap.

"Kurama?"

The call sounded so soft... so different of the infant's voice... Feeling tired and comfortable, the Youko didn't move.

"Kurama, I know you're awake."

"Hiei..."

The nausea returned. And this time it had nothing to do with the side effects of the use of the Jagan. "Hiei?"

Opening his eyes, he gazed up at the Fire Demon's face... and cringed. "Inari-sama... I... I didn't mean..."

"Are you ready to sit up straight again, or were you just getting comfortable?"

Hiei's tone was dry, but not totally unfriendly. Realizing he was still lying on the youkai's lap, Kurama rolled out of the bed, fighting a wave of dizziness as he got on his feet. "That was you?" 

"Hn."

Kurama tried to find the kid's features in his friend's familiar face, and soon small similarities began to form an horrendous picture in his mind. The crimson eyes, deep and old; the tiny pointed nose; the slender neck; the thin expressive eyebrows. 

Bold, mean and strong. 

Hiei. 

"I remembered the boy," Kurama told him. "I never forgot that day. But I didn't recognize you. You had that green cloth covering your hair... and your ki signature..." 

"...changed after the implant of the Jagan," the youkai informed him. "You changed much more than I did, though."

The redhead didn't know what to say. "Did you always know it was me... the same who... I mean..."

Hiei shook his head. "Not really. When I came to Ningenkai I heard about this guy named Kurama who cloaked his demon identity behind a human guise and acted in Yatsude's area. I was half expecting to find the same wicked Youko... I was looking forward the chance of showing him how much I had grown."

Kurama felt terrible. And when he had to refrain from replying with a pun about Hiei's growing, he felt a lot worse. _What kind of monster am I?_

"So I tracked you down," the youkai continued, stretching his legs on the bed and toying with Kurama's comb. "If you were that Youko, it would be fun to see you again. And if you were Yatsude's thug and had anything to do with Yukina's disappearance, so much the better."

__

No wonder he jumped over me so furiously, Kurama mused. 

"But then I found this," Hiei continued, fingering one of Kurama's long red strands that had been caught in the comb's teeth. "And it wasn't even nearly this long about that time. You were completely different, a pretty young boy about my height, with red hair and huge sad eyes. Your ki had changed too. And you didn't recognize me. So I wasn't sure until I got to see you here, when Uraura Shima's kekkai wore off. There was only one thing that was the same with you and the Youko I met."

"What?"

"You were still treating me like an equal in a weird way."

Kurama almost choked. "An equal?!" _Inari... what I did to him..._

"In a weird way," Hiei repeated with a smirk. 

"And you call **me** nuts!"

The youkai chuckled. "Okay, I admit you were a little too rough to make me have fond memories of you," Hiei winked. 

The redhead eyed the laughing demon before him, surprised at seeing him so at ease. "You **are** nuts, Jaganshi..."

"Kurama, when I attacked you here in Ningenkai, why did you use that leaf as a sword to fight me?"

The Youko shrugged, sitting back on the bed. "You appeared with a katana, so..."

"Get real, Kurama! If you're gonna give me a lame excuse, at least use one you can convince yourself with."

Kurama brought his legs up, close to his chest, using the movement to gain some time to answer. "I'm not sure if I can give you a better one. It was sort of instinctive. I saw the katana coming my way, then I summoned that leaf."

"Don't tell me the great Kurama had no brilliant plan in his mind..."

"I didn't. Except for leading you away from crowded areas..."

"...and from your girlfriend," Hiei added with a wicked grin. 

"And from Maya," Kurama confirmed, not bothering to correct the youkai's assumption. "I didn't know who you were. I had to find out."

"So you stuck your abilities to my level until you got your answers."

"I told you, Hiei, I didn't win. This body was too young to summon my ki properly. If you weren't wounded... Anyway, who wounded you? I know it wasn't me. I could barely get near you, at the speed you were going."

"The bastard who told me about you."

"Who?"

"Hedoki."

Kurama gaped. "Hedoki? **He** worked for Yatsude."

"I know that now," the youkai moaned.

The Youko shook his head in dismay. "That was so stupid, Hiei! Why didn't you wait until you healed before attacking me?"

"You really need to ask that?" Hiei snorted. 

No. Kurama understood quite well why Hiei couldn't have waited. At the time the youkai feared that Yatsude had made Yukina one of his victims... and the fiend used to eat his victims alive. "Still... it was a reckless thing to do," the redhead muttered. 

The Jaganshi smirked again. "You're worried that you might have killed me?"

"**You** should have been worried," Kurama riposted. 

"Didn't have to. You never use more power to defeat an enemy than the strictly necessary." The essence to Kurama's beautiful and unpractical fights. "That didn't change from the Youko I met."

Kurama felt a guilty lump forming in his throat. "I used far more than the strictly necessary... back then." The poor little kid... his little injured face glaring daggers... his little arms trying to shield the little body from the punches of a Youko five times his size... _If Kaasan learns I did something that cruel, she'll never talk to me again..._

"Kurama?"

"Yes?"

"Why didn't you use your plants?"

"You mean... that first time in Makai?"

Hiei nodded. "That wasn't a beautiful fight... beating and tickling..."

__

Oh my... The tickles. If Kurama knew his friend as well as he thought, his pride had crumbled to dust for being defeated by tickles. 

"You could have gotten rid of me so much faster and with so much more class with one of your plants," Hiei confessed.

The redhead bit his lip. He remembered having wondered about that too, while he cooked the rabbit that night. "I don't know. I was so furious. I couldn't believe you, throwing rocks, biting my tail... I wanted to smash you with my hands."

Hiei tilted his head. "You changed a lot. I never saw you that angry after that. Not even when Roto threatened to kill your mother."

"I wasn't like that either," Kurama murmured. "I was never like that. I don't know what happened to me. When you bit my tail, my temperature raised a hundred degrees, and I was seeing red, my mouth was foaming... I wanted to cut you in a thousand pieces."

The Fire Demon smiled proudly. "Thanks."

The Youko stood up, pulling his damp hair back, visibly upset. "Hiei, I'm sorry."

"Why? You said you remembered the encounter."

"Well, yes, but..."

"Did you feel guilty about it before?"

Reluctantly, Kurama admitted that he never thought much about that incident until now. He lowered his eyes, the only answer he felt up to offer. 

"One ordinary day in Makai," Hiei shrugged. "I've seen worse. I bet you did too."

__

Only difference is that now I know it was you. Kurama looked out through the large window, trying to picture all the possibilities, if he could just go back in time and change the past...

Hiei seemed to have read his thoughts. "It's done, Kurama. It doesn't matter anymore."

"How can you say that?"

"We wanted the same thing. We fought. You won. What else could you have done?"

"I could have freed you," Kurama exclaimed. "Fed you. Healed you, cleaned you. Given you a chance."

"You gave me a chance," Hiei grinned. "A better one than if you have just took pity on me."

Kurama knew what the Fire Demon meant. Hiei was a survivor. He might have never become so strong if he had been adopted by a merciful Youko. "Still... I should have at least left the rabbit to you."

"Oh quit that silly ningen morality!" the youkai protested angrily. "That's why I didn't want to tell you. I knew you'd start looking at me like this."

"Like what?"

"The way you look a beggar in the street. It's sickening." 

"Hiei..."

"Do I look like a beggar? Do I look like someone to be pitied?"

"No."

"Then cut that nonsense about what you should or shouldn't have done," said Hiei. "Honestly, Kurama, if we could go back in time, I wish you would act exactly the way you did."

And a little belatedly the Youko understood the thanking note behind the little demon's attitude. _I baptized you. In more than one way._ Kurama would need time to accept the idea, to find a way to deal with the whole issue and with that ugly image he was picturing of himself now. But already he started to feel the seeds of pride blooming secretly in his heart. _Hiei... you built the fighter named Hiei... because of me._

The redhead sat on the low windowsill, rubbing his hands on his knees in a nervous gesture. "I can't believe you're so cool about it. You said you wanted to show me how much you have grown."

"I did."

So true. That little flimsy infant must have gone a long way to become the Black Dragon Master that Kurama knew. "Is that enough for you?"

"If we fight again, you won't mock me," said the youkai, coming to stand before his friend. "And this time you'll have to put all your strength in the battle to face me as an equal. Must be an uncomfortable thought for you."

As they were, they had approximately the same height. "It is."

"Then I'm satisfied. For now," Hiei added as an afterthought.

__

Unable to keep hard feelings, even when he should, the redhead mused. _You earned a name and my respect... but..._ "I still owe you."

Hiei's eyes gazed straight inside Kurama's emerald irises. "No debt," he stated softly. "No compensations. No rematches."

Kurama smiled bitterly. 

But Hiei was not over. Stepping so close to the Youko that their noses were just an inch from touching, he murmured, "No regrets."

The sandstorm was gone. And between the two friends there was no door anymore, only a wide-open passageway. The question now was, would any of them be bold enough to cross it? 

Kurama was still probing the ground. Opening his arms, he brought the Fire Demon to a strong warm hug. 

And for many years to come, Kurama would wonder if that had been the worst mistake that he had made in **all** his past lives.

Hiei responded to the embrace instantly, letting his arms envelop the larger body in a lazy spiraling caress. Resting his cheek on Kurama's shoulder, he closed every inch of space between their chests, wrapping the two of them in his tepid aura. 

The Youko panicked. Hiei's hug felt fluid and passionate, like a wave of hot perfumed water. The little demon didn't seem to have any bones! The gentle feeling of being held and protected, the scent of pine and cherry from the spiky black hair... Kurama remembered those freezing mornings of winter, when his bed felt so warm and comfortable, and his sheets and covers swathed him so lusciously as if they didn't want him to get up... 

Hugging Hiei was better. 

Kurama felt they were touching **everywhere**. And his response to such a caress could be only one thing.

__

Oh no... not **now**!

If Hiei noticed the taut volume growing between them - and it was hard to believe he could miss it, glued to Kurama as he was - he gave no sign. He just stayed there, breathing softly, his youki flowing mildly from his body to his friend's. 

"Hiei...?"

"There's a good thing in all this, you know."

The youko gulped. "What?"

"You smell a lot better now."

Kurama breathed in deeply. "You too."

They kept hugging in silence, minutes drifting swiftly in their private dimension. The redhead wondered about the boy's solemn promise, _"I'll getcha, Fox. Ya'll be my prey."_

__

Was this what you had in mind? Kurama was dying to put that little demon in his pocket and take him home, to find out exactly how much he had grown. _You're sick, Youko._

But still he didn't want to disturb that rare moment, and was terribly disappointed when he heard Keiko's voice coming from the next room, crying out in a vain attempt to wake Yusuke and Kuwabara, so they could join her and the girls in a promenade at the beach. Hiei gently disengaged from the embrace, knowing that Yukina and the other girls would be knocking on their door in a few seconds. 

"I'm curious," Kurama commented in a whisper. 

"About what?"

"Are you still ticklish?"

Hiei scowled, his usual self back in place. "If you cherish your life, you won't try to find out."

****

~*~ owari ~*~

__

October 8th, 2000

****

Full confession: this fic was greatly inspired by WhiteCat's "Name Game" and Sandy Youko's "The Last Night at the Kubikukuri Hotel", two classics of the YYH Fanfiction and obligatory reading to all YYH fans who have no quarrels with shounen ai/yaoi.

****

Fond Memories was the first fic I ever tried to write: I started it around May 1999... so I took one year and five months to finish it... But I **_did_** finish it, ne? So there's still hope for me, I guess... 

****

This story is part of the [**Eien no Hakusho**][1] **timeline.**

   [1]: http://www.geocities.com/morgan_d_br/eien/eien.html



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